


Escape

by alternis_universo



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-14
Updated: 2017-01-14
Packaged: 2018-09-17 11:41:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9322019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alternis_universo/pseuds/alternis_universo
Summary: Lately, I’ve been working on an idea for a Erza x Jellal fanfic. I wanted to make it a two part story, but have now decided to write it a different way. I’ve written this part as a warming up for writing the larger story and thought I might as well share it with you guys.It’s an AU which follows the origin of both characters for the most part. I’ve made some alterations I liked to make it different from the published story. Part 1 is from Jellal's POV. Part 2 is from Erza's POV (both are included in this post).I've used the tags of rape/non-con and graphic depiction of violence quite freely. There are no real descriptions of rape/non-con and the worst form of violence is punching someone. But I'd rather use one trigger warning too much than too little.I hope you’ll enjoy it, I haven’t written anything for a while and hope this isn’t too bad :)





	

PART 1 - JELLAL

Images of a time long past, of a happy family and moments of love and laughter, float away when Jellal wakes up from Erza’s movements next to him. He blinks and looks around, he always sleeps more soundly with Erza in his arms. With every blink the shreds of memories disappear along with the sleep. Rapidly, the shouting of guards reaches him. Eager to avoid getting whipped, he stands up and gets in line behind Erza. 

Most people stiffen when the guards pass them, but some have become so numb they don’t seem to care about anything anymore. The observant eyes of men in grey army clothes scan the line for anything out of the ordinary. Jellal subtly touches Erza’s arm when they approach her, assuring her things will be okay. He feels the muscles tense under her skin when the guards’ eyes linger on Erza’s maturing body. 

Jellal faces the guards with blatant hate and disgust in his eyes. They just look back at the boy in front of them, barely fourteen years old and dressed in rags, and give him sneering grin before they move on. Once they’ve forced everyone, even the ill individuals, off their piles of straw that forms their beds and in the line, the line starts moving. One after the other, they shuffle towards the exit. 

The air outside is only a fraction colder than the air inside their wooden, cracked barn. They’re handed a bowl of watery porridge made with sour milk, which they have to eat while they’re led to the dark mouth of their daily hell: the Scarlet Pit, one of the rare places where ivory naculite can be mined. Their owner, Theodor Craft, makes big money by selling it. The buyers don’t seem to mind it’s mined by slaves. Without a word, the slaves trade in their bowl for picks and get to work. The thin layer of dust can’t protect their bare feet from the cold stone underneath. In the barely illuminated mining shaft of the Pit, the only thing that protects them from the cold is working hard. A quick look around assures Jellal that the familiar faces of his friends are still here. They look exhausted and hungry, like everyone else, but they’ve all survived another night. 

“Eyes in front of you!” a guard yells at him. Jellal grits his teeth but obeys. He plunges his pick in the crevices of the stone in front of him, keeping a steady rhythm. His eyes burn with long held in anger and helplessness. One day, he’ll escape. One day, he and Erza will be free. And his other friends as well, of course. 

The last rays of sunshine have left the Scarlet Pit dark and cold. After a meal of glassy potatoes and undercooked pork, the slaves take their places on their improvised beds. Most have already gone to sleep, unable to fight the exhaustion any longer. Others talk in hushed voices, hoping the guards outside won’t hear them. Amongst them are Jellal and Erza with their friends. 

“I heard they killed Rob,” says Simon with solemn eyes, referring to one of the only adults still willing to stand up for the children at the Scarlet Pit.

“No way,” Millianna objects. “I saw him fall today, he’s was working only ten feet away from me. He went face forward; almost fell on the point of his pick. His eyes had glazed over. He was already dead at that point.”

Simon shakes his head. “I heard a sword being drawn outside. And after that the sound of something falling in the dirt, probably his head." 

"I heard him begging,” Sho unexpectedly interferes with his soft voice. His eyes dart around before he looks back at the ground. Every time he speaks it’s as if he’s scared off by his own voice. Jellal has always had a weak spot for the boy, who is the same age as Jellal’s little brother was before he died in the Scarlet Pit at the age of eight. Jellal pushes the thought of Aren away. He touches the shoulder of the boy and smiles gently. Sho was one of the new arrivals about a month ago and isn’t quite as used to things like this as the rest of them are. He smiles his tiny, insecure smile back at Jellal. 

“Any man who begs to live in a place like this is out of his mind.” Kagura’s voice is as cold as ice and the look in her eyes is as hard as metal. Everyone looks like they have something to say but realise there’s some truth in her words. 

“He didn’t beg to live,” Sho says, looking Kagura right in the eyes. “He begged them to kill him.” Kagura averts her eyes. 

A biting cold silence fills the space between the children. Long seconds pass while the image of a begging Rob creeps its way in their hearts. Him breaking down takes away one of the last certainties they could hang on to here. If their big example couldn’t last any longer, how could they? One by one, the children stand up, say their good nights in grieving voices and move back towards their straw beds. 

When Jellal lies down, Erza snuggles up against him, tears in her eyes. He strokes her greasy, red hair and lays his arm around her. She smells of dust and sweat, but he barely notices. He undoubtedly reeks too, they rarely ever get hosed off. She soon falls asleep. When her breathing is calm and steady, Jellal allows himself to fall asleep as well, a blush on his cheeks. He dreams of a lush, green world in which he and Erza have nothing to fear.

Jellal wakes up a fraction of a second before everything happens. It’s pitch black. The boots inches away from his face alarms him. A guard stands in front of him and Erza and leans forward to grab her arm. His blue eyes have a darkness in them that Jellal hasn’t seen there before in the past six years. Aware that something is wrong Erza wakes up and looks around with big eyes. When the guard pulls her away from Jellal she starts screaming instinctively. Despite his efforts to grab hold of her, Jellal’s fingers slip away. Erza fights the guard, but small as she is, there’s little she can do. A big hand of the guard muffles her screams as she’s carried away. 

“No!” Jellal gets up. “Don’t you dare harm her!” he roars as he runs after the guard. 

He feels something crack when the guard’s fist collides with his face. Jellal falls, dark spots blurring his vision. 

“Jellal!” Erza screams before the guard places his calloused hand over her mouth again. Tears run down her face. Swaying from side to side like a drunk, Jellal stands up. Staggering and still unable to see clearly, he follows her scream, but the guard hurriedly makes his escape. When Jellal reaches the door, two guards with drawn swords block his way. With eyes as dark as the night they look down on him. The soft glow of a singular light bulb hanging from a thread makes the metal of his sword and armour glow. Behind them, he can see the shape of the guard with Erza under his arm blend in with the dark night. Helpless, Jellal watches them disappear. 

“Erza!” He screams to the night. “Erza!” There’s no response. “I’m sorry,” Jellal says softly, choking up.

He remains standing there, in front of the open doorway, his path blocked by two swords held by men of whom he knows they don’t hesitate to use them. Tears cloud his vision and leave their traces on his cheeks. On his chin they mix with the blood coming from his nose. He refuses to go back to his bed, even when Sho gently pulls on his hand. He has to be here when Erza comes back, if she comes back. It’s happened before, the disappearance of women in the night. But it was never someone their age. 

Minutes feel like hours. His friends try to make him move, but he won’t budge. The other slaves don’t even move. They stay on their piles of straw, facing away from the doorway, pretending to be asleep. But Jellal knows they’re not. Everyone slave at the Scarlet Pit sleeps like an animal: ready to flee at any moment. He doesn't blame them, though. A person can only take so many horrors a day.

From inside the darkness, yelling and crying arises. Jellal immediately recognises Erza’s voice. He feels a deep ache inside his chest. He steps forward, but the guards are alert. The point of a sword pierces the skin at the height of his heart. Drops of red blood stain his already dirty shirt. The cold metal of the other blade rubs against his throat. Suddenly, Erza’s screams are mixed with shouts of low masculine voices.

“Hey!”

“Watch out!" 

"She’s-”

Without warning, the excavated mining site lights up. Several hundred feet away, a bright light lights up the night. A small figure stands in the middle of it. Guards run around, shouting and pointing. The flash goes out like a flickering candle, returning their surroundings to darkness. Jellal takes advantage of the confusion around him and runs past the guards. They shout, but don’t come after him. They can’t leave behind an unguarded barn full of slaves. 

Stumbling over the uneven ground which is hidden by the cloak of dawn, Jellal runs in the direction of the light. “Erza!” he shouts from the top of his lungs. Muffled sounds come from afar. Jellal runs towards it. He falls over something and lands in something sticky and warm. He wipes his hands on his pants and continues running without thinking about it. One last shout echoes through the darkness. Then there’s nothing but dead silence. Jellal stands still, listening for any sounds of movement. 

“Erza?” he softly says. There’s no response. Running footsteps approach from afar. Others guards have been alarmed by all the commotion. “Erza, where are you? We have to leave, now!” He refuses to admit to the possibility that she’s not alive anymore. The have to escape, now. She won’t survive another day. 

When the first sunrays of the day fall over the mountains surrounding the Scarlet Pit, he finally sees her. Her tiny posture is accented by the massive sword she holds in her hand. Blood drips from it. Her clothes are torn and stained with dark, wet blood. She looks at a man’s head without expression. Horrified, Jellal stares at her.

“E-Erza?" 

Her eyes turn to look at him with lighting speed. When she sees him standing there her eyes change from expressionless to fearful. She takes a step back, gripping the sword with both hands. Jellal reaches out for her, taking a step forward. 

"It’s okay, I don’t mean to harm you,” he says careful. For a moment she seems to hesitate, as if she’s pondering over the truthfulness of his words. 

Then, she turns and runs away, clutching the sword against her chest. 

“Erza!” Jellal shouts from the top of his lungs. “Wait for me!” He runs after her, but can’t catch up. She runs as if she’s being chased by a demon. Eventually, Jellal’s weak body is too exhausted to go any further. Falling to his knees, he watches Erza disappear in the distance. New tears roll over his face. 

 

PART 2 - ERZA

The rays of sunshine haven’t even stroked the still sleeping country of Altar, when loud shouting and high pitched whistles pierce through the darkness. Erza quickly awakes from her slumber. Her eyes dart around. The guards, yelling and cursing them, are still 16 feet away. Hurriedly, Erza stands up, waking up Jellal besides her. He quickly gets on his feet and stands behind her in the formed line of people. 

The guards approach. Erza weaves her fingers, only to unfold them and start the cycle anew time after time. Cold to the bone without the warmth of Jellal next to her, she looks at the guards, who are now only three feet away from her. Suddenly, Jellal’s fingers touch her arm. Feeling a little less scared and alone, she smiles slightly. 

Determined not to give the guards any advantage over her, she keeps her face blank when she looks them in the eye. Unfortunately, all the bits of self-confidence disappear like snow under the sun when she sees the look on their faces. With a dirty grin and hungry eyes, they look at her body. Uncomfortable, she crosses her arms in front of her chest and looks away. It doesn’t stop her from feeling their gaze roam her body as if she was a piece of juicy lamb to be devoured by them. Even when they finally move on she’s still tense. 

Cries emerge from behind her as a woman gets pulled off her bed by her hair. Chills run down Erza’s spine. She does her best not to cover her ears. Any sign of weakness could make you a target of the guards. The still burning lacerations on her back are a constant reminder of that, even though is been more than a month since she was whipped. 

Once everyone slave is in line, it starts moving towards the exit of their wooden barn. Erza quickly gobbles down her sour milk porridge before the bowl is snatched from her hands and replaced by a pick. They walk from the darkness of dawn in to the dark mouth of the mine. Dimmed light bulbs light the way. Erza takes her place in the darkness, with Jellal next to her. When he looks around, she throws him a shy smile. He smiles back, but their moment is interrupted by a yelling guard. Nevertheless, a little bit of warmth spreads from her heart through her body.

Erza had known Rob was dead long before the others spoke about it. She hadn’t seen it, since Rob’s place in the mine was far deeper than theirs. But she’d felt it. The emptiness of losing someone who’s dear to you. Rob had been a safe place for the children to go to. A man with countless stories and a kind sparkle in his eyes when he told them. He’d looked very old, but he was probably in his early forties. 

Knowing he’d begged to die makes his death feel a little like a betrayal. Would others betray her as well and leave her here alone? Would Jellal, who’d been brought to the Scarlet Pit at the same time she was? Who’d been by her side ever since? She looks at the boy sitting across from her in the circle. His blue hair is so dirty you can barely see their original colour through it, but his dark brown eyes still look lively. He notices her stare and smiles gently. She blushes and smiles back. When the others leave, she curls up against Jellal on his straw pile. Maybe his arms can protect her from the horrors of the night. 

She’s sleeping soundly and dreaming of a table full of delicious pies, cakes and cookies when the pastry suddenly grows angry faces and attacks her. She wakes up, breathing heavy. Realising she’s safe, or at least not being attacked by cookies, she tries to calm down. But her gut keeps telling her something’s wrong. She wants to look around at the same time someone grabs her arm. 

The scream has left her mouth before she even knows what’s going on. She just knows it’s nothing good. The posture and clothes of her attacker reveal it's a guard holding her. That’s no reassurance. Jellal gets up, reaching for her, but they’re too far apart. The guard presses his hand over her mouth to stop her screaming. It wouldn’t matter if she yelled, screamed or begged. The other slaves are too scared to intervene anyway.

“No!" Jellal yells as he gets up. "Don’t you dare harm her!” When the guard punches him in the face Erza can hear something cracking. Angry and scared, she bites in the hand covering her mouth. Cursing the guard pulls it away. She takes a deep breath. 

“Jella-!” The guard quickly places his hand back over her mouth. When she catches a glimpse of red teeth markings through her tears, it pleases her. 

Erza moves frantically, trying to get loose. Unfortunately her assailant is much taller, stronger and healthier. No matter how hard she fights, his grip doesn’t loosen. He briskly walks towards the exit. The men guarding the doors let them pass without a word. Whatever is going to happen to her, they’re in on it. 

After a few steps they leave behind the warm glow of the light bulb. The darkness stretches its arms out, ready to pull her in its embrace. Tears continue to stream down her face as they enter. Erza has no idea where they’re going, but the guard paces onwards without hesitation. 

“Over here,” a voice in the darkness says. Goosebumps instantly spread over Erza’s body. 

The guard turns right, towards the voice. As they get closer, Erza can hear two male vices snickering. Every fibre of her being yells at her to get away, but she’s given up on getting loose from the man’s firm grip. Suddenly, she’s put on the ground, surrounded by three guards. She can only tell they’re there because their figures are a little bit darker than their surroundings. They emit a dangerous air and have her surrounded. Their gazes burn on her skin like the hot coals that they use as punishment: at first you don’t notice it, but once you do it’s too late. 

Knowing it’s useless but not in the least inclined to give up yet, Erza looks around for ways to escape. She can just see the barely illuminated entrance of the barn, with a tiny figure standing behind the guards. Suddenly, even a place like that looks like a safe haven. The guards laugh at her. 

“It’s futile to run away, honey. You won’t get far,” one of them coaxes. 

“You’re a pretty one, aren’t you,” another chimes in. 

The man standing behind her strokes her hair. She shivers in discomfort. His hand slides down, over her shoulders towards the low of her back. She tries to step away, but there’s nowhere to go. They are like possessed trees towering over her, stroking her with their rough branches. Paralysed, Erza feels their hands move to intimate places where nobody but her own hands ever come. She tries to hit their hands away and avoid their touch, but the only result is that two of them hold her down while the other does as he pleases. Her desperate sobbing has turned to quiet weeping, but feeling this helpless forces a deep felt anger up from her gut. 

When the fingers of a guard stroke higher and higher upwards on the inside of her thigh, something snaps in Erza. She refuses to be treated like this and let the men do as they like. An unknown heat rises up from the pit of her body. She feels a rush of power spread through her body. Light of an unknown source starts illuminating her surroundings. The shapes of her assailants become distinguishable from the night. They look at her with wide eyes, their hands still on her body. 

It’s as if something else takes over for her. Her body moves without her willing it to. She shoves the guards aside, the light emitted by her body still growing. As if lifted by an unseen force, she sits up and is lifted of the ground. Her hair flows through the empty air. Her eyes flash towards the pommel of one of the guards’ swords. Before they know what’s going on, she’s grabbed hold of it. The long days swinging a pickaxe in the mine have strengthened her arms and she holds the sword in front of her without much apparent struggle. The light dies out and her feet touch the cold, hard ground again. With an unerring sense of where the guards are, her eyes dart from side to side. They begin to shout and panic, but it’s already too late. Erza lifts the sword, an otherworldly look in her eyes. 

It ends quicker than she expected. The sword slices through the air, beheading first one and then another guard. The third, she stabs through the heart. She lowers the point of the sword towards the ground, letting the blood drip off. The dusty stone underneath her feet turns warm and slippery from the blood, but she doesn't consciously register it. Just like she doesn’t register the bodies lying around her, bleeding out in the morning sun. 

“E-Erza?" 

A familiar voice starts to pull her back towards the world she comes from. Erza tries to mentally claw her way back, but knows it’s a fight she’ll lose not matter how hard she tries. She and her tainted body belong to this world. Her eyes start to focus on the scenery around her. The sun is climbing over the mountain range surrounding the Scarlet Pit. A boy stands about twenty feet away from her, looking petrified. She recognizes the face as that of someone dear to her. 

When she realises it’s Jellal’s, she’s suddenly wide awake and aware of the situation. She’s slain three men in cold blood, surrounded by an unidentifiable light, with a sword that isn’t hers. She’s covered in blood and her clothes are torn from fighting the guards. The fear that’s clearly visible on Jellal’s face, settles in her own chest. She’s a monster. She can’t face Jellal and she can’t jeopardize his life by staying here. There’s only one option. Escape. 

She starts to run, deaf to Jellal’s shouting.


End file.
